Harry Potter and The Lost Grimoire
by Kontrast
Summary: PostOotP. Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts. Voldemort has enough and is after Harry's blood while the Boy Who Lived searches for a millenium old book that may contain the key to win the war. And when the ministry gets involved, things get worse. HarryTonks
1. Dreams & Discussions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter and if I could make money out of this story, I wouldn't post it here.

**Harry Potter and the Lost Grimoire**

**By**

**Kontrast**

**Chapter 1 – Dreams and Discussions**

The sun burned down on Little Whinging and the houses of Privet Drive with their neatly trimmed backyards and shining white garden fences. It was so hot, the streets were deserted in the early afternoon hours and most of the occupants of Little Whinging remained in their air-conditioned houses. Even the park down Magnolia Road, which normally was filled with the noise of children playing, was silent. The only people that could be seen were a young couple, sitting completely oblivious to the world in the shadow of some trees; two little girls, playing in a sandbox; and a lone boy with raven black and unruly hair, sitting on a swing at the far end of the park.

He would have looked like a statue if it weren't for the slight breeze that made his hair move ever so slightly. This sight was not unusual. In fact, it was the same picture as every day for the past week: "Boy With Black Hair Brooding". And brood he did. Too many thoughts about Sirius Black, his recently deceased godfather, were haunting him, but it wasn't just the death of his friend and father figure but rather the fact that he thought himself guilty of it that had sent him to his current condition. 'I as good as killed him'; that was his standard line of thought.

The only light in his dark mood was the lack of confrontation with his so called 'family'. He was glad that his relatives left him alone most of the day, due to the fact that members of the Order of the Phoenix had threatened them into treating him well. Of course, it was impossible for Vernon and Petunia Dursley to treat Harry Potter, their freak nephew and only obstacle standing between them and a 'normal life', well, so they didn't even bother trying and just ignored him.

And so the first week of his summer went by in silence. Every day he did his surprisingly few chores and vanished in the nearby park, after eating an apple or a piece of toast for lunch. It wasn't that his relatives were still trying to starve him, but his hunger these days was nearly nonexistent.

Today was a rather bad day. After cleaning the dishes, Harry was on his way out of the house only to be stopped by his Uncle's voice bellowing out of the living room. "Hey, Boy! It's been a week now. Remember to write to one of those freaks from the station and your murderer of a godfather. I don't want any of these _people_ appearing on my doorstep!" With only this one sentence his Uncle had hurt him more than many, many times before – and he hadn't even been trying hard.

Harry was able to hold his tears until he was out of sight but when he passed the gates of the park they fell freely. Since then he sat there on the swing with his thoughts spiralling down. He thought about Sirius and his death, the past years and how they hadn't had nearly enough time to get to know each other or for his godfather to tell him stories about his parents and the adventures of the Marauders. But he also thought about the prophecy Professor Dumbledore had revealed to him not long ago and how it affected his past, present and future – his destiny. Was it really his destiny? Would he really have to become a murderer or die trying? Or was this whole thing just a big hoax made up by an utter fraud who was desperately trying to get a well paid job as a teacher at Hogwarts?

And so he let his thoughts wander aimlessly until a disembodied voice quietly spoke his name. "Harry?"

It took him a moment to recognize the currently invisible owner of the voice. "Tonks?"

"Wotcher!"

"Hey. What are you doing here?" he asked in a low voice, looking in the general direction of the young Auror. "Wait. Let me guess – Dumbledore sent you to baby-sit me."

The slight movement to his right told him that Tonks had sat down on the nearest swing.

"Hmmm… I would prefer the expression 'guarding you', but if you think you need a babysitter, I'll make sure to stop by tonight and sing you a lullaby."

He made a face but had to suppress a snort at the mental picture.

"Thanks, but no. I don't think Dumbledore would like the idea of you sitting at my bedside rather than standing in front of my door."

She made the vocal equivalent to a shrug and replied, "If you think so. But if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

"And where would that be?"

"Twenty feet behind you under an Invisibility Cloak. Speaking of which, it's damn hot under here! This thing is supposed to have a Cooling Charm on it, but I think it has worn off."

"Why don't you just use a Disillusionment Charm then?"

Tonks shook her head no. "When you use this Charm you don't become invisible – there's still your shape that can be seen if there's enough light, like a chameleon. And a walking shape in the middle of a Muggle park would certainly draw even more attention than an incredibly cute witch with pink hair."

"So, besides you, who's wasting their time guarding me?"

"Mainly Shacklebolt, Emmeline and Podmore. But I can assure you, nobody thinks of it as a waste of time. We don't have a clue what You-Know-Who is up to, so everyone is glad to do at least something useful."

"Everything silent then? No attacks?"

"Nothing"

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't had any news of the wizarding world for the past week and had been worried that after Voldemorts 'official return' an open war was going to break out.

"Hey, you should be really thankful that it isn't Mad-Eye who guards you. You know his magical eye can see through walls, don't you?"

"Of course I kn…ewww! Urgh, thanks a lot, Tonks. Now I'll never be able again to take a shower without feeling embarrassed!"

"You're welcome," she said cheerfully.

He couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her infectious happiness.

"By the way, how come you're talking to me? Don't you have orders to remain hidden and silent or something?"

"Well, firstly, I think sweating under an Invisibility Cloak counts as hidden. And as for the 'silent' part; you know about the Order and that we're guarding you, so why shouldn't I be able to have a little chat with a friend? It's not as if we're in the middle of a Death Eaters' gathering."

"Hey, that's cool. Does that mean I'll have at least a little company during the next weeks?"

"Yup, starting midday the day after tomorrow. I've got a message from Dumbledore for you. He's stopping by on Tuesday to talk to you."

"What about?"

"Dunno. He just said he wants to discuss some things regarding You-Know-Who with you."

"Why would he want to do that?"

"I've got no clue. Sorry, Harry."

They sat in silence for the next minutes while he wondered what Dumbledore wanted to tell him. His musings were interrupted by Tonks' gentle voice. "How are you, Harry?"

He took a breath, but before he could say anything he was interrupted again. "And if you say anything like 'I'm fine', I'm going to hex you."

Harry had to rethink his answer, because that was exactly what he had wanted to say. In the end he just sighed and simply told the truth. Somehow, he actually wanted to tell someone. "I don't know, Tonks. It's…I'm…" Frustrated at his loss for words, he ran a hand through his hair. "It's as if I'm lying in a dark room without anything to hold on to. My thoughts are spiralling out of control and I don't find the strength to stand up. I just don't know what to do."

"That bad, eh?" she said with a sigh before pausing for a moment. "I know these feelings. In the last two years we lost three Aurors, one of them was a very good friend of mine and like a mentor to me. He was one of those people who taught you more than spells and how to block them, he told me many things about life, people and his experiences as an Auror. When he died, I didn't know what to do or what to feel. Every time I had a problem, I could count on his advice and now I was on my own. Roughly two weeks later, I was extremely stressed with work for the Department and the Order and some other problems. I could think of no one else to talk to and was obviously really down. I was angry with him for just leaving me alone. For nearly an hour I screamed at him and cursed him – until he answered me. I did the same thing I had done many times before; I talked to him and let his voice calm me down. Just now, I did it in my head." She stopped for a while before she continued. "What I'm trying to tell you, Harry, except for the fact that I'm a bit daft, is that - as stupid as it sounds - you'll simply have to find a way to go on. You won't forget him but you _will_ stop mourning and cherish the memories you have with him." He could almost hear her sad smile. "I know, it doesn't help any at the moment, but it will get better."

Harry was a little shocked by this serious Tonks but what she had said made sense, even if it didn't make him feel much better, he saw a little light. And so he just slowly nodded in understanding.

Tonks laid an invisible hand on his left shoulder and he couldn't stop himself before reaching for it. He felt the silkiness of the cloak and the warmth of her hand and gave her a little squeeze. "Thanks."

"You're welcome" she said again, but this time with sober sincerity.

For nearly half an hour they sat in silence. Harry let his thoughts wander, but managed to keep them on a healthy level rather then let them get him down. After coming to the conclusion that it really was of no use to spend the whole day brooding - and with the mental image of Sirius kicking his arse for it - he spoke up. "Okay, I think it's time to go before you get a heat stroke."

"You'll hear no argument from me. Back home?"

He shrugged. "If you want to call it that."

"Are they still that horrible?"

He replied while standing up and heading for the park gates. "No. Since your little chat they're ignoring me and vice-versa. That's actually much better than last summer."

"Sounds not like a perfect relationship to me," she said from behind him and slightly to the right. Again, all he could do was shrug "It's okay with me. If it weren't for Dumbledore and the blood wards I would never have gone back after my first year at Hogwarts."

"Where would you've liked to stay?" she asked curiously.

"At that time I hoped I could just stay at Hogwarts for the summer, like I do during the winter breaks. I didn't get as to why Dumbledore kept sending me back."

"Do you understand it now?"

"I think so. At the end of last term we had a long talk and he explained some things to me, afterwards though, I was livid. What with all that had happened in the Ministry, it was just too much. But since then I thought a lot about it and it occurred to me that since I first met him, I always thought of Dumbledore as the one who knows the right answer to everything, the great wizard who always makes for the right way. I was wrong. But even when he makes mistakes, his actions are based on the right reasons. That's all anybody could ask for."

They walked back to the entrance of Number Four where they parted.

"Hey, Harry?"

"Hm?"

"A week ago we had a meeting with Dumbledore," she said and continued in a mischievous voice "You wouldn't happen to know the name of the hurricane that ravaged his office, would you?"

* * *

The next day the sun seemed to burn even hotter. Harry didn't leave the house, but spent the day with chores and homework instead. The conversation with Tonks had given him a little energy boost and he didn't want to risk falling back in his dark mood, so he tried not to think too much about anything. The one thing that came constantly to the surface of his mind was the reason Dumbledore would want to see him just a few days after the start of summer holidays. At first he imagined all kinds of terrible incidents that could have happened to cause the Headmaster to this little journey but the Order would at least know something and Dumbledore surely wouldn't come to him, of all people, to speak about it. Then he entertained the idea that Dumbledore had come to the decision to rescue him early and would take him to the Burrow – or to #12 Grimmauld Place, which gave him a shudder. In the end, he settled for the only thing he could do: wait and see how it would go.

* * *

"Hello, Harry."

The boy in question turned and saw the smiling face of his headmaster.

"Oh, hello Professor."

"I hope you had a pleasant summer so far?"

"It was okay, sir. You wanted to speak to me?"

"Indeed. But do not let us waste time. We will have enough of it when we are at Headquarters."

"You'll take me to Grimmauld Place?"

"Correct again, Harry. There we will have the opportunity to discuss the latest developments," Dumbledore said nonchalantly but suddenly his face became serious. "That is also where we are going to hold your trial."

Harry looked in shock into Dumbledore's grave eyes and spun around again when he felt the weight of a strong hand on his shoulder.

"What for, Harry, what for?"

Now he wasn't shocked. He was speechless.

"Why did I have to die?" asked the man whose face was so near that it completely filled Harry's sight. His grey eyes were staring accusingly, his hands were still in a firm grip around the boy's shoulders and when he spoke, his voice was forceful.

"I was always hoping to kick the bucket for a good reason but you took that chance from me. I certainly didn't want to die just because of your stupidity. I never thought you would turn out to be such a disappointment!"

With that, he turned and walked away, slowly fading.

"Do you see why you must be punished? Do you see what you have done?" asked Dumbledore but Harry ignored him. All he wanted to do was to go after his godfather but try as he might, he just couldn't move his legs.

"Sirius! Wait, Sirius, please wait! I'm sorry!" By now he was sobbing and barely managed to choke the words out. "I'm so sorry!" Again and again he screamed for his godfather, begged for his forgiveness until his voice was hoarse, but received no answer.

Harry was already sitting in his bed before his mind became clear enough to take in his surroundings. He was sweating and silently crying.

Laying his head in his shaking hands, he tried to breathe and regain his composure.

"I'm sorry, Sirius" he repeated the words from his dream. "I'm so sorry."

Sleep didn't come back easily that night.

* * *

When Tuesday finally came around Harry was in the kitchen of Number Four shortly before lunchtime, preparing a modest meal for his aunt, cousin and himself. His hands were moving on their own accord, while his mind wandered. To say he was glad that his uncle wasn't at home would be more than a bit of an understatement. He could imagine vividly how Vernon Dursley would react to a one-hundred-and-fifty years old wizard standing in front of his door.

To Harry's relief, lunch was a silent affair. Aunt Petunia was busy going on about the good grades her precious little son had achieved last term ('_No doubt he's bullying his classmates to do his homework'_, Harry thought) when suddenly the doorbell rang, so Harry stood up to answer it.

"Sit down!" Aunt Petunia snapped. "It could be one of those new neighbours and I don't want them to get the wrong impression by seeing you first."

Harry, more annoyed than irritated, watched his aunt out of the corner of his eye and followed her at a safe distance until he stood in the doorway of the kitchen. His aunt adjusted her hair in the mirror in the entrance hall and straightened herself before opening the door with a sickeningly sweet and fake smile.

Barely one second later, her smile faltered. The only thing that let her keep her composure was that the smiling old man in the door sure looked strange, but also wealthy and even somewhat aristocratic. He wore a suit that looked at least a hundred years out of fashion and a top hat occluded just a small part of his long white hair. His dark red vest and equal necktie were barely visible under his waist length beard. In his left hand he carried a black cane with a brass handle and when he moved his right arm to reach out for Petunia's hand, he revealed a golden watch chain dangling from the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Mrs. Petunia Dursley, I presume?"

A confused nod was all he received. After waiting for another couple of seconds he moved his unshaken hand back.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore," he introduced himself friendly. "I really hope I am not disturbing, but I have to speak to Mr. Potter on a matter of importance."

By now, Aunt Petunia's face had become a sickly shade of green. Without her husbands massive back to hide behind she really must have been afraid of this wizard, who even she knew was not an ordinary one. Not that Harry really cared. After an awkward - at least for Petunia - moment of silence, she simply turned around and made for a hasty retreat, but was stopped by the calm voice of her not so welcomed guest.

"Unfortunately, I have only little time to talk at the moment, but rest assured we will meet again." Harry thought the last part sounded more like a threat rather than a promise, but that was another thing he didn't care for.

After Petunia had vanished in the living room and the face of the spying Dudley was frightened away by a look from the headmaster, which McGonnagal would be proud of, Dumbledore turned towards Harry, who was somewhere between bemused and bewildered by his relatives' behaviour.

"Not the most polite welcome I have ever received, but I think it will do," he said with a smile.

Harry grinned and shrugged apologetically. He still felt a little awkward in the professor's presence. Sure, what he had told Tonks was true – he wasn't holding a grudge against Dumbledore, but as good as his intentions may have been, the Headmaster had made a mistake, and this mistake had cost Harry both his godfather, and valuable time to prepare for the approaching fight from him. The dream of the previous night and his curiosity about the coming discussion didn't make the situation more pleasant.

Shaking off these thoughts, Harry nodded politely towards Dumbledore and greeted him.

"Hello, Professor."

"Harry," he answered friendly. "I hope your summer was not too unpleasant so far?" The boy almost couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes. _'As if he doesn't know already'_,he thought and waved his hand dismissively.

"It was okay."

"Ah, yes, I thought as much. Would you care for a walk, Harry? It would be a shame to waste this beautiful day inside."

How anyone – especially someone who was wearing at least three layers of clothing - could call the current heat wave 'beautiful' was beyond Harry's comprehension, but on the other side, anything that gave him a chance to leave his relatives house was all right with him.

"Sure," he agreed. "Just give me a minute to put on my shoes."

After doing so and leaving the house in the general direction of the park, Dumbledore and Harry walked slowly down the street.

"What was it you wanted to speak to me about, sir?"

"Well, as I'm sure you've done likewise, I've thought much about our little discussion at the end of last term."

Harry's ears reddened just a bit. "Oh, yeah, about that. I'm sorry for destroying your office, Professor."

"No apologies needed, Mr. Potter. I can only imagine how you felt at the time. Actually, you showed considerable restrain." Then he added with a hint of unhappiness: "Although I have learned not to keep the most fragile appliances lying around since."

"As I was saying, I've thought about what you have said and came to the decision that, from now on, I will inform you about anything regarding Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Harry was baffled. Sure, this was exactly what he had wanted, but he never would have thought that Dumbledore would actually listen to him. He still couldn't believe the amount of trust Dumbledore was placing upon him, so he asked the first question that came to his mind. "Why?"

"The answer to that question, Harry, is quite obvious and I have to say I should have seen it a long time ago. You are our only chance at winning this war. By treating you like some sort of secret weapon that I could just pull out of my sleeve at the right time, I, even if I never would have admitted it, totally neglected your interests and betrayed the faith your parents had in me."

"My parents?"

"Oh yes, they of course knew about the prophecy and they also were aware of the danger they were in. If something was to happen to them, they trusted me to take care of their only son and to guide and succour you in these troubled times. Alas, as it seems, the very first decision I have made after your parents' tragic death – sending you to your relatives – was not the best one I've ever made. And eleven years later, I have done something even worse: I have been keeping you in the dark about the things you had and still have to do. In the light of the greater good, I forgot about you. I won't even start to apologise, there simply is no excuse."

Harry was torn between the anger that flared once again inside of him as he heard Dumbledore's confession, and the calm voice coming from his heart that only wanted peace and not another enemy. In the end, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and forced himself to forgive.

"You don't have to apologise, Professor. You did what you thought was right. I don't want to hold that against you." He opened his eyes and smiled. "I think even an old man can learn from his mistakes."

At this, Dumbledore chuckled. "Quite true, Harry. Sometimes I think my students are wiser then me. They are certainly more open-minded."

"_I just hope you'll really change your mind and I haven't sealed my fate by trusting you again," _Harry thought with a mental shake of his head.

"So, professor, is there any news?"

The old man sighed heavily. "No, there is not. As glad as we are that there are no attacks, we are also worried about what brings Voldemort to keeping quiet like that. We always thought he would start an open war once he revealed himself to the public."

"What about Snape?"

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry, doesn't know anything either. There were no meetings the past week."

"That means that anything we can do is wait for his next move?"

"I'm afraid so. The Order is trying its best, but at the moment we are lost."

"_Perfect. How can we hope to win this war, when we don't even know where and when it takes place?" _

But Dumbledore saved him from any pointless thoughts by changing the topic. "Now that we have caught up with each other, there are two more things for you to decide.

"The first one is rather simple. I have told you that I thought about making you a Prefect before your fifth year, but I decided against it, because I didn't want to burden you with another task. I think this year you should choose for yourself whether you can handle it." Despite Harry's jealousy towards Ron nearly one year ago, this honour seemed rather meaningless in the light of his new situation.

"You don't have to decide now, just let me know within – let's say – two weeks?"

Harry nodded. "And what's the second one?"

"Well, that would be the question of your whereabouts until the end of summer."

"I can leave?"

"If that's what you want, yes, you may leave. But you know my opinion and I would ask you to consider staying at Privet Drive."

Harry's first reaction would have been an attempt at a new packing record, but something held him back. After some minutes of analysing, he recognized it as the fact that Sirius gave his live to safe Harry's.

"Okay, I'll stay - for now. But if anything gets out of hand, I'll be gone before you can say 'Burrow'."

"That's all I can ask you for. Sadly, my time is limited, therefore we should go back."

And so they did and said their good bye, but as Harry was opening the door, he turned once more.

"May I ask you a question, sir?"

"That's the reason I have become a teacher, Harry," the professor said with twinkling eyes.

"I thought you know a lot about Muggles. Why are you wearing these clothes?" he asked curiously.

"You see, I don't often have the opportunity to wear Muggle clothes. But when I do, I almost always choose this suit for sentimental reasons. I bought it nearly ninety years ago in London. It was one of the best times of my long life. Ahh, to be sixty again." For a moment, his eyes adopted a far away look before the twinkling returned. "And I have to confess, I always had a fondness for appearances."

* * *

**A/N:**

Many thanks to my betas for their great help with this chapter and hopefully story.

All reviews are highly appreciated, but if you really want to do me a favour, don't just write "like it" or "hate it", but rather tell me what you like or don't like.

The first chapter is just a prologue, so please excuse the lack of action or plot.

Oh, and please bear in mind that english isn't my native language.


	2. Leaving Privet Drive

**Chapter 2 – Leaving Privet Drive**

It was early in the morning when Harry entered the backyard of Number 4 Privet Drive. He was supposed to mow the lawn and weed the flower beds today and wanted to be done as fast as possible – at least before it was too hot to stay outside.

He stood at the backdoor and slowly looked around: the grass really needed cutting and the weeds looked as if they wanted to take over the whole garden. The ground was already dry again, the roses should be watered soon and the hedge was whistling at him.

Harry raised an eyebrow: Hedges weren't supposed to whistle. One second later, the other eyebrow followed suit. Hedges surely weren't supposed to go '_pssst!'._

It had to be one of his guards.

The whistling was getting closer and then there was the sound of someone stumbling over a root.

It had to be Tonks.

"Hi, Tonks. You don't have to sneak around, y'know. There's nobody else here."

"I know. But I've heard of your Uncle's screaming fit after Dumbledore's visit. Don't want to get you into trouble."

"Well, thanks. But I could've taken you for a Death Eater and cursed you."

"Oi! I'm an Auror, remember!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, and I'm the boy who defeats Voldemort on a yearly basis," he answered dryly but grinning.

"True," she conceded. "Do you have some free time today?"

"As soon as I'm finished with this mess here. Don't have to cook lunch. Why?"

"Can we go to the park later? I've got something for you."

Tilting his head, he asked, "What is it?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, no presents until work is done, so go on and hurry up," she replied, audibly enjoying this way too much for Harry's taste. He growled in her direction but said nothing.

It felt a little bit odd to be watched while working, but after some time Harry didn't mind anymore. He always relaxed when he was doing something with his hands rather than his mind: it put some distance between him and everything else.

Sure, there was still a powerful and dangerous madman after him, but in this very second, it didn't matter. He still had a lot of homework to do and his relatives still hated him. Harry had thought his Uncle would murder him when he had been told about the sudden appearance of Professor Dumbledore, but a well placed Howler sent by Emmeline Vance had taken care of it.

"_You're being watched!" _it had hollered throughout the entire house.

Harry grinned at the memory of his Uncle's face. He had never seen anyone going from blood red to deathly pale that fast.

* * *

Three and a half hours later, Harry was finished with the backyard and on his way to the park. After a few minutes of walking in silence, he felt a light smack on his upper arm.

"Hey Harry," Tonks whispered. "Be a friend and buy me an ice cream."

He looked around a bit confused by this unexpected request until he saw the ice-cream vendor at the end of the street. Walking towards him, Harry pulled out some coins – it really had been a good idea to change some Galleons into Muggle money. He bought a cone of chocolate ice cream for Tonks and one with lemon for himself. It looked funny as a hand appeared out of nowhere, grabbed the cone and vanished with it, followed by a delighted sound.

As they passed the gates to the park, he looked for a good place to sit down. There were remarkably more people occupying the grass with their blankets and he was looking for a secluded spot. Tonks seemed to think along the same lines, because she nudged him in one direction. "There, behind the boscage."

He walked in the pointed direction until he found an empty place surrounded by some bushes. As soon as he entered it, Tonks appeared right in front of him. Her hair was rather short and white, as were her eyebrows. Her eyes were a honey-like amber.

She inhaled deeply, "Ahh, oxygen."

"No fun spending the whole day under a cloak, eh?"

She shook her head vehemently and sat down in the shadows, facing the only way in and out.

"So, Tonks," Harry started while clapping his hands once. "What is it?"

"What is what?" she asked, barely sustaining the mock-innocent look on her face.

Harry locked eyes with her and tried to sound demanding. "To-onks!"

"Aw, you're no fun!" she grinned and threw him an envelope. "Here, seems like I'm your personal delivery service now."

The letter was addressed to Harry but there was no clue as to who sent it.

"Who's it from?" he asked, eyeing the letter.

"Dumbledore gave it to me but it's from the Ministry. He talked to them and asked that every mail was sent through him. He doesn't want anything to be intercepted."

Not long ago, Harry would've reacted by blowing his stack at this information, but now he took it rather calmly. It was a good precaution, and as long as Dumbledore didn't read his mail, it wasn't important how Harry got it. He opened the letter, looked at the first few lines, and groaned.

"Bad news?"

"My O.W.L. results," he sighed.

"Come on, it can't be that bad, can it?"

Harry looked at her as if he wanted to question her state of mind before he bowed to the inevitable and continued to read.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We're pleased to inform you about your results in the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) exams. Please notice that the grades Outstanding, Exceeds Expectations and Acceptable are necessary for achieving an O.W.L. ._

_Astronomy – Acceptable _

_Care of Magical Creatures – Outstanding_

_Charms – Exceeds Expectations_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts – Outstanding_

_Divination – Troll_

_Herbology – Exceeds Expectations_

_History of Magic – Dreadful _

_Potions – Acceptable _

_Transfiguration – Outstanding _

_We congratulate you to a total of seven O.W.L.s._

It wasn't that bad. In fact, it was far better than he had expected. Harry didn't care that he now was a certified Troll in Divination. As far as he was concerned, everything that had to do with prophecies and fortunetelling could very well stay away from him forever. But the A in Potions, despite being a great achievement after five years of Snape's lessons, was completely destroying his plans on becoming an Auror.

"Hey! I'm bursting with curiosity, in case you've forgotten about me," Tonks said impatiently, bouncing on the spot.

Harry grinned and handed her the letter: it seemed as if Hermione wasn't the only one crazy about other people's grades.

"And you call _that_ 'bad news'? You've done really well."

"I've got only a T in Divination," he said, embarrassed by her praise.

Tonks just waved her hand. "The only embarrassing thing about that is that you took it in the first place."

"You never had Divination?"

"I'm not crazy, Harry," she responded, but then inclined her head for a moment in thought. "At least not _that_ crazy."

Tonks stood up and handed Harry the letter back. "Are you hungry?"

"Now that you've mentioned it, yes."

"Three Broomsticks?"

"Huh? Are you sure I'm allowed to go?"

"You're allowed to go wherever you want as long as I'm with you. You wouldn't run away from me, would you?" she mock-threatened him.

He snorted and shook his head.

"Good. Now come on, I'm starving," Tonks said, holding out her left arm. "Have you Apparated before?"

Again, he shook his head.

"No problem, just hold on tight."

He did as he was asked and soon felt a pulling sensation coming from where he touched Tonks' arm.

* * *

They appeared in an alleyway in Hogsmeade, near the Three Broomsticks. As soon as Harry was sure that every part of his body was in its intended place, he went repeatedly with his hand over his fringe, unsuccessfully trying to hide his scar.

"Sorry, Harry," Tonks said, eyeing him. "I'd like to help you but I was never good with Glamour Charms."

"Really?" he asked grinning. "'s okay. I just hope no one will recognize me."

He was lucky: the waiter was either too occupied or just didn't bother, so they could order their meal undisturbed.

After eating in relative silence, Tonks spoke up "What's bothering you?"

Startled out of his thoughts, Harry answered, "Just thinking about my O.W.L.s."

"You are out of your mind, if you're complaining about three O's."

"Nah, it's just the A in Potions that bothers me. I can't take the NEWT-level courses," he said, confusing Tonks even more.

"Are you trying to say that you're really going to miss lessons with Snape?"

Only now he noticed that he was making no sense. "For heaven's sake, no! But a NEWT in Potions is required to become an Auror, isn't it?"

"Ahh, now I understand. Yeah, it is, sorry."

Harry sighed but suddenly looked up. "Wait a second. You _are_ an Auror!"

"Yes, Harry, I was aware of that," she said with a grin, sipping at her butterbeer.

"You had to have an O in Potions."

"Oh, yes. It was a lot of hard work, I can tell you. But in the end I made it - I was a Ravenclaw after all."

"_You_ were a Ravenclaw?"

When Tonks leaned back with one eyebrow raised and her arms crossed, Harry learned one of the most important and fundamental things in life: When in presence of a woman, watch your mouth.

"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?"

"Uh…" he didn't really know how to get out of the mess he'd got himself into. "I didn't mean…y'know…"

"I know what?" she said with a straight face, but her eyes were betraying the laughter she tried to suppress while watching the squirming boy.

"It's…uh…you don't seem like a Ravenclaw. You're too much fun."

Now Tonks couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Good answer, I think I'll let you get away with it," she said with her eyes still sparkling.

* * *

When they had finished, they were walking out of the Three Broomsticks. Their good spirits soon vanished when Harry hissed in pain "Oh no."

"What's up?"

He couldn't give an answer, for his knees were buckling and he fell to the ground, clutching his forehead.

Tonks was immediately at his side. "What is it? Harry?"

"Scar," he responded through clenched teeth.

"Shit," was all she said, before she half-carried him in the alleyway they had arrived earlier and sat him down. She kneeled before him and lightly slapped his cheek repeatedly.

"Hey, come on, stand by me. How bad is it?" She tried to keep him conscious, but he already couldn't hear her anymore.

* * *

Harry looked through eyes that certainly weren't his own at the bowing form of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"You have failed me," he heard himself say.

"Forgive me, my Lord," Bellatrix pleaded. "We were following him to the park. But when we were sure that no one was watching, he had vanished."

"_Vanished?_" Harry hissed, outraged. "How could you loose him? He can't even use magic!"

He stood up and walked slowly towards her, laying a bony hand around her neck. With his thumb under her chin, he forced her to look him in the eyes.

There she was, the woman that had killed Sirius. Pure hatred burned its way into his soul. At the moment he had no doubt that he could cast a very effective Cruciatus Curse if he was given the chance.

"I have given you a simple assignment. Go back and finish it! I'll deal with you later," he said and forcefully pushed her away.

She hurriedly left, still bowing, but was stopped by the deathly quiet voice of her master.

"And Bella," he said. "I don't care for any witnesses. I've waited long enough."

"Yes, master!"

When Bellatrix Lestrange had left the hall, Voldemort turned and approached the figure of a man wearing the robes of a Death Eater.

"Get the others." he ordered. "We're leaving."

The cloaked man nodded once and the last Harry felt was the feeling of great anticipation.

* * *

'_Too much light,'_ Harry thought groaning as he opened his eyes. His head was thumping and his sight cleared only slowly. When the mist that obscured his vision had vanished, he took in his surroundings and groaned once more.

"Mr. Potter!" a familiar voice called out entirely too loud for his taste. "It's enough that you're usually spending half of the term here. Can't you stay out of trouble at least for the holidays?"

"Sorry, Madame Pomfrey," he said exhausted. "Couldn't help it. Haven't seen you for quite some time, have I?"

The school nurse actually smiled at him. "Well, you were lucky I'm still at Hogwarts," she said while performing some diagnostic spells on him.

"Leaving for holidays?" he asked conversationally.

"Despite of what you may think, even a staff member has a family." The nurse handed him a vial of potion that didn't smell like it would taste any good. "Here, drink that and you'll feel better."

He held his breath and did as he was asked. Instantly he felt some energy coming back to him and he nodded grateful to Madame Pomfrey before she left.

"Wotcher, Harry!" another voice greeted him, this time pleasantly low. "You had me quite worried out there. You okay?" Tonks said, unsuccessfully trying to conceal her concerned tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you have carried me all the way to Hogwarts?" he asked skeptically.

"Nah, I wouldn't stand upright now if I had," she winked at him. "I've sent Dumbledore a message and he Flooed right over to Hogsmeade. He's rather strong for an old man," she added in a stage whisper.

Harry blushed at the image of Dumbledore having to carry him through the front gates of Hogwarts. He knew that it was dangerous to levitate someone who already was under the influence of a strong magic, but _that_ was just embarrassing.

He sat up and looked around in the Hospital Wing before turning to Tonks again. "Where is he?"

"Dumbledore? Should be here anytime now. He asked us to wait for his return. Seems like you've interrupted a little meeting with the Minister."

Harry snorted scornfully. "Couldn't have had much interesting to say, could he?"

Tonks grinned at him. "Sorry, Harry, can't say anything bad about my boss while I'm on duty. Ask me again in two hours," she said and made herself comfortable on a nearby chair.

"You aren't on duty, Tonks, at least not for the Ministry."

"Ahh, that's not true. Officially, I am. Kingsley is covering for all Aurors on Order business."

At this, Harry smirked. "So, does that mean you were paid for having lunch with me?"

In response, she kicked playfully in his direction and stuck her tongue out.

Only a few minutes of waiting later, a slightly exhausted looking Dumbledore entered the Hospital Wing and greeted them with a small nod. "Harry, Miss Tonks. Madame Pomfrey informed me that you are well and free to go. Forgive me my directness, but could you please explain what exactly happened in Hogsmeade?"

"Of course, sir." Harry subconsciously touched his scar before he sighed. "I had another vision. Basically, Voldemort was irritated with Bellatrix Lestrange for failing in capturing me today – or maybe she was supposed to kill me on sight, I don't know."

"You seem to be very calm about this, Harry," Dumbledore inquired.

Harry merely shrugged, but his tense posture gave him away. He continued nevertheless.

"Apparently she and at least one more Death Eater followed us to the park, but we'd apparated to Hogsmeade before they could get to us. He ordered them to finish the job."

Tonks frowned, but Dumbledore only nodded thoughtfully.

"Do you think it was real?" Of course Harry had to ask this question after the disaster of the last time he believed in one of his visions without doubt.

"I can not say for sure, but I don't see a reason Voldemort would want you to believe such a thing, unless he wants you to leave Privet Drive, but that doesn't seem likely to me. Is there any more detail you remember? Perhaps the location they were in?"

"No, sir. It was very dark. Some kind of hall, or maybe a big cave, I can't say. But there was more. Shortly before the vision ended, Voldemort commanded some of his followers to him. He had plans for today and wanted to leave. I don't know what it is he has planned, but he could hardly await it."

By now, Harry and Tonks were looking at the headmaster intently, clearly expecting some explanations.

"Yes, I feared something like that might happen. You see, Harry, after his futile attempt last year, you are – forgive me – simply of no use to him anymore compared to the threat you represent. On the other side, I believe you foiled his plans entirely too many times for his taste and he knows that you can be dangerous for him. It was only a matter of time until he stopped trying to use you and started making efforts to remove the danger he sees in you."

If the situation hadn't been so grim, Harry would have felt flattered at the fact that the Dark Lord considered him to be a serious danger. But now he only realized, that the more danger he was in and the more was put upon his shoulders, the more he stayed calm. They already were at war; his life already had been threatened numerous times – somehow the situation didn't seem to have changed at all.

"Okay, what do we do now?"

"I believe it is safe to assume that you don't want to stay at Privet Drive without leaving the property?"

"Yes it is," Harry readily agreed.

"Then I would suggest moving to headquarters. It is the safest place at the moment and there is almost always a member of the Order around."

Either way he looked at it, the rest of his summer surely wouldn't be pleasant – imprisoned in a house with people that hated him or in the home of his dead godfather? Well, at least the company at Grimmauld Place would be better.

"I haven't much of a choice, have I?" he asked no one in particular and nodded resignedly. "Okay, I'll move to headquarters."

"Very well," Dumbledore agreed. "The Weasleys are supposed to arrive in a few days as well, but I think after hearing about you staying there, Molly will want to check upon you as soon as possible," he smiled. "Was there anything else you want to know before I go?"

"Yes, sir, something about the vision. It seemed…stronger than the last time. Somehow it affected me more than I would've expected."

"Well, I would say that Voldemort is getting more irritated with you every day. Strong emotions like these can very easily strengthen the bond you have the misfortune to share with him."

"Great," Harry threw his hands in the air. "Maybe if I try hard enough, I can annoy him to death."

Both wizards turned as Tonks let out a rather unladylike snort, but silently agreed to not mention it.

"Now, if you will excuse me, there are some affairs which require my attention."

After Dumbledore had left the room, Harry dedicated his full attention to Tonks, who was now standing in front of him. "So, are we going to leave?"

"Sure Harry, but I'll fetch your things first," she volunteered.

"I'll come with you."

"Don't be stupid, it's too dangerous," came a strangely exasperated reply, at which he looked questioningly at her. She sighed. "It's bad enough I didn't notice we were followed."

"I didn't notice, too," he shrugged.

"Yeah, but _I_ am the Auror and _I_ am supposed to be your guard."

"Come on, Tonks. We're talking about Lestrange here! Who knows what spells she was using?"

Her smile was obviously unconvinced. "Nice try, Harry, thank you. But you'll have to wait for me though. I think I remember where everything is," she said and turned around.

Harry laid down with his arms crossed under his head while he waited for Tonks return, but only a few minutes later the doors of the Hospital Wing burst open once again.

To Harry's disappointment, it wasn't Tonks. His disappointment turned to contempt when he saw who really had arrived.

Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, strode in, a dozen Aurors in his wake.

"Mr. Potter!" Fudge exclaimed a little bit too pleasantly. "As soon as I was informed about you being here, I just _had_ to pay you a visit."

'_Who the heck told him I'm here?'_ he briefly wondered, but then, one of Fudge's guards must have seen his rather unusual arrival.

"It is always a pleasure to meet you!"

'_Why has he twelve Aurors guarding him?'_

"Nobody has told me why you are here, though," the minister continued in an exaggerated friendly voice. "I surely hope you are well?"

"I was, until a few seconds ago," Harry answered dryly, but Fudge simply ignored him and proceeded with his rambling.

"You see, I wanted to speak to you for some time now, but naturally I'm quite occupied in times like these."

His guards looked rather bored, Harry noticed with some sympathy.

"Last year's misunderstandings were a real tragedy! It seems that a man in my position can't rely on his secretaries and sources anymore, can he?"

'_Misunderstandings? MISUNDERSTANDINGS?'_

"Nevertheless I want to assure you that this matter will be completely investigated and that I myself will make sure that everyone responsible for the Ministry's actions since the return of You-Know-Who will be dismissed."

'_You'll dismiss yourself? That's going to be amusing.'_

"You will agree that we should work together to eliminate the threat that endangers the whole wizarding world."

"At least _I _have no other intentions," Harry commented.

Fudge _really_ had experience in ignoring people.

"So I hope we will stick together in these troubled times and work in each others favor," he finished with a triumphant smile and left, looking very pleased with himself.

'_What the hell was that about?'_ Harry thought in wonder. One moment later, he sighed and shook it off. _'And the day had such a nice start,'_ he complained. _'If this continues, the next one to march through the door will be Voldemort. Or worse, Snape.'_

And exactly at that moment, the doors opened once again.

Harry looked up, half afraid that fate had decided to drive him mad, but was relieved when he saw his trunk floating in, followed closely by Tonks.

"Hey there. I've got everything, are you ready?"

Harry already was on his way and took Hedwig's cage, which Tonks awkwardly tried to balance under her left arm. "Hi, Tonks. I can't tell you how glad I am to see you."

"Huh? Something happened?"

"Yeah," Harry answered grudgingly. "The Minister decided to brighten my day."

"What did Fudge want from you?"

"I don't have a clue. Come on, I'll tell you on the way."

* * *

Yes, Apparating would never become his favorite way of traveling. At least it was better than using the Floo-network and maybe it would get better if he could finally do it by himself.

Harry stood in the room he had shared with Ron one year earlier in Grimmauld Place, surrounded by his scattered belongings. As soon as he was sure that nothing was missing, he went down to the kitchen, where Tonks was talking with Alastor Moody.

"Potter," Mad-Eye acknowledged him as he entered.

"Hello, Professor Moody."

"I told you boy," he grunted, "just Moody. Tonks told me what happened. I'll talk with Dumbledore and then we'll send a few Order members to your house. With a bit of luck, we'll catch those damn Death Eaters."

With that said he stood up, nodded at Tonks, and limped away.

Harry fetched himself a Butterbeer when he remembered he had completely forgotten about something and called out, "Pro…er, I mean, Moody!"

"What?"

"Could you tell Professor Dumbledore something?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Tell him thanks, but I have to decline his offer. He knows why."

"Got it."

"What offer?" Tonks asked curiously.

He turned around, took the first sip of his butterbeer with great delight and sat down opposite to Tonks. "Making me a Prefect. Last year he had second thoughts about it, but now he wanted me to decide."

"Prefect, eh? I never was one. But I would often look like her," she grinned and wiggled an eyebrow at him, "especially after curfew."

Harry nearly choked on his Butterbeer. "Why ain't I surprised, Tonks?" "Don't know," she smiled innocently and shrugged. "But why do you turn him down?"

"I actually can't say for sure. I think I've got too much on my mind right now to worry about House points and whether the first years are comfortable at Hogwarts or not." For a short moment he stared at the ceiling, pondering if he should tell her exactly why he wouldn't have time for those things anymore. "It doesn't matter. It just isn't important to me anymore."

* * *

Later that night, Harry wandered through the empty halls of Grimmauld Place Number 12. Tonks had finally left after making him promise to stay safe and in the house three times. Now he wished there was at least someone else there; the old residence of the Black family felt much too empty. In nearly every room remains of the ancient family reminded of the Dark Magic the house was imbued with. Yes, it was definitely not a pleasant place to stay in.

The last room he visited was also the one he feared the most – Sirius' old chambers. He actually hadn't intended to go there, but something lured him to it.

It was strange. As much as he had dreaded coming here, it wasn't that depressing at all. It was more as if he could feel Sirius' presence and at the same time his absence. And suddenly it struck him – Sirius was dead. There was nothing he could do anymore except for wishing his godfather only the best on his next great adventure.

There were still lingering feelings of loss and guilt, but he closed this door literally by laying his hand on the silver handle and gently drawing it shut.

"Goodbye," he whispered and went to bed for a deep and dreamless sleep.

* * *

**A/N:**

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed to the first chapter. I'm really flattered.

Next chapter: "The Creature's Death"

**Quizer: **You are right that the main part of chapter 1 is about Harry dealing with Sirius' death, but – as you said – I had to deal with it. I won't "waste" much more time on that subject, but I will mention it here and there. It is a very important issue after all.

I like stories with a Manipulative!Dumbledore as well. On the other side, I can understand every single decision he has made. Therefore I think it is okay for Harry to "forgive" Dumbledore so fast. To make mistakes is human, to look down at those who make them just childish.

Regarding the dream: I know that sometimes my writing is a bit exaggerated and "over the top", but I like it that way.

And, yes, my betas helped me a lot with the language.

**Stygius:** No, there won't be a Super!Harry later on. He won't do wandless magic and he won't find out that he is the heir of Gryffindoor, Slytherin, Merlin, God or whatever. I like him as he is. ;)

The relationship will grow steadily. It won't happen too soon and I've also planned some chapters completely without Tonks.

And I'm looking forward to the reactions of everyone else as well. ;)

At the moment I don't have much time to write with University and all, so please be patient with me.

Thanks to my betas **bonehammer**, **Dragonmage182** and **Loewin83 **for their great help.

Please review.


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